1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transcutaneous nerve stimulation and more specifically relates to devices for applying transcutaneous nerve stimulation for physiotherapeutic purposes.
2. Background Art
Transcutaneous nerve stimulation, commonly referred to as TENS is the application of a controlled amount of low electrical currents to stimulate nerves and/or muscle tissues in a patient for treating numerous physiological problems such as muscle and joint pain and inflammation. The currents may be provided in a steady flow or in electrical impulses of various wavelength frequencies. The electrical currents primarily stimulate the nerve for the body to produce natural endorphins to block the perception of pain and also physically cause the muscle tissues at the area of application to tighten and relax repeatedly, and thus increasing the blood circulation to enhance the natural curing process. The TENS currents are provided by a generator and the currents are delivered with application probes to the inflicted locations of a patient's body. The free end of the currents application probes is commonly in the form of a flexible inductive composite pad which must be attached to the patient's body with conductive adhesive gel and/or adhesive tapes in order to deliver the current to the patient's body. However, the curing process is not efficient if it is relying solely on the TENS stimulation.
Another problem in employing flexible TENS probes is that residual adhesive often remains on the patient's skin, which is difficult to clean off. Also, due to the natural skin secretion which hinders the affinity of the adhesive to the skin, the probes usually do not adhere securely in place particularly after repeated use. The adhesive probes are also particularly problematic to apply on skin area having body hair, as the probes would be difficult to remove from the patient without causing great discomfort and pain after the TENS treatment with the adhesive inherently pulling out hair from the skin area.